BIOL 5376
Applied Bioinformatics (3 semester hours) Genomic information
content; database searches; pairwise and multiple
sequence alignment; mutations and distance-based phylogenetic
analysis; genomics and gene recognition; genetic polymorphisms and forensic
applications; nucleic-acid and protein array analysis; structure prediction of
biological macromolecules. Lectures are augmented with laboratory exercises and
demonstrations. Introductory statistics and 2 semesters of calculus required.
(3-0) YCS 6325 Introduction to Bioinformatics (3 semester hours) This course aims to introduce
graduate students to the new field of bioinformatics. This area has arisen from
the needs of biologists to utilize and help interpret the vast amounts of data
that are constantly being gathered in biomedical research. This course provides
an overview of the basic concepts in molecular cell biology and molecular
genetics, outlines the nature of the existing data, and describes the kind of
computer algorithms and techniques that are necessary to understand biomedical
data. Prerequisite: CS5343 Data Structure or
permission of instructor (3-0) YBIOL 5381 Genomics (3 semester hours) The
fundamentals of how the human genome sequence was acquired and the impact of
the human genome era on biomedical research, medical care and genetic testing
will be explored. New tools such as DNA microarray, realtime PCR, mass spectrometry and data mining using
bioinformatics will be covered. (3-0) YBIOL 6373 Proteomics (3 semester hours) Protein identification,
sequencing, analysis of post-translational modifications, understanding protein
interactions, and changes in content by mass spectrometry; and determination of
function using protein chip microarrays. (3-0) Y BIOL 6384 Biotechnology Laboratory (3 semester hours) Laboratory
instruction in LC/MS/MS mass spectral analysis of cellular proteomes; PCR; DNA
Sequencing; DNA microarray analysis; fluorescence and confocal microscopy; ELISA; and fluorescence activated cell sorting.Instructor may require students to demonstrate
adequate laboratory skills in order to enroll. (1-2) Y

Electives

A sampling of electives available
to students in the Biotechnology M.S. program follows:

BIOL
5375 Genes to Genomes (3
semester hours) is an expansive coverage of molecular genetics with emphasis on
genomes rather than genes. Students will
gain a new perspective on how genes function together and in concert in living
cells, focusing at the genome level. Students also will learn how to study genomes, inspect genome anatomies,
analyze how genomes function and determine how genomes replicate and evolve. The course is structured to involve students
directly in individual topics by class discussions of research papers and
reviews, the latest advances in genome science and new and innovative
techniques.BIOL6345 Molecular Basis of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (3
semester hours) Topics include an analysis of the molecular basis of the
infection of target cells by HIV, the intracellular replication of
retroviruses, with special attention given to the HIV tat and rev
genes, and an analysis of the roles of the HIV accessory genes: vif, vpr, vpu and nef.
The immunological response of the host to HIV is considered, as is the
biological basis for the ultimate failure of the immune system to contain this
virus, with attendant immune collapse. The molecular basis of a variety
of existing and potential anti-retroviral therapies is considered. (3-0) Y BIOL 6351 Cellular and Molecular Biology of the Immune
System (3 semester hours) Innate and adaptive immunity.Structure and function of immunoglobulins and MHC molecules, and
their role in the adaptive immune response. Function of the
primary and secondary lymphoid tissues, and the role of professional antigen
presenting cells. The molecular basis
for the generation of diversity during cellular development of B and T lymphocytes.
The role of complement in innate immunity, and details of T cell and B cell
mediated immunity. (3-0) Y BIOL 6352 Modern Biochemistry I (3 semester hours) Structure and
function of proteins, including enzyme kinetics and catalytic mechanisms; structure
and metabolism of carbohydrates, including oxidative phosphorylation
and electron transport mechanisms. For students who have not had the first
semester of undergraduate biochemistry. (3-0) S BIOL 6353 Modern Biochemistry II (3 semester hours) Continuation of BIOL
6352. Structure and metabolism of lipids,
including membrane structure and function. Nitrogen metabolism:
amino acids and nucleotides. Polynucleotide
replication, transcription, and translation. For students who
have not had the second semester of undergraduate biochemistry. (3-0) Y BIOL 6356 Eukaryotic Molecular and Cell Biology (3
semester hours) Regulation of cellular activities in eukaryotic cells;
structural and molecular organization of eukaryotic cells; molecular basis of
cell specialization; membranes and transport. For students who have not
had undergraduate cell biology. (3-0) SBIOL 6358 Bionanotechnology (3 semester hours) Emphasis on fundamentals
and developments in this emerging field.(3-0) RBIOL 6359 Medical Cell Biology for MAT (3 semester
hours)Organization of cells,
structure and function of DNA and proteins, gene therapy, regenerative
medicine, and the endocrine system.Designed
for students who are pursuing a MAT degree.(3-0)S BIOL
6360Medical Cell
Biology for Biotechnology (3 semester
hours)This course will explore cell
structure, the structure of DNA, mutations in DNA, gene therapy, stem cells,
cell signaling, and the immune system etc. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the cellular and molecular basis
of health and disease. For students who
have not had undergraduate cell biology and/or molecular genetics. (3-0)SBIOL6385 Computational Biology (3
semester hours) Using computational and statistical methods to analyze
biological data, and perform mathematical modeling and computational simulation
techniques to understand the biological systems. The course introduces methods in DNA/protein motif discovery, gene prediction,
high-throughput sequencing and microarray data analysis, computational modeling
gene expression regulation, and biological pathway and network analysis. Prequisite: BIOL5376or instructor
permission. (3-0)YBIOL 6V02 The Art of Scientific Presentation (1-2 semester hours)
Students learn how to give an effective seminar by reading scientific articles
on a central theme in biology and then delivering a presentation, first to
their classmates, followed by another presentation to the Molecular and Cell
Biology faculty and students. While learning the focused theme, students
acquire skill sets in critical reading of scientific literature and oral
presentation. Required for all Ph.D.
students. (P/F grading) ([1-2]-0) YBIOL 6V03 Research in Molecular
and Cell Biology (1-9 semester hours) (May be
repeated for credit.) ([1-9]-0) S BIOL 6V29 Topics in Molecular Biology (2-5
semester hours) May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 9 hours. ([2-5]-0) Y BIOL 6V31 Molecular Genetics (3-4 semester hours) A graduate survey of
the phenomena and mechanisms of heredity, its cytological and molecular basis,
with a focus on bacterial and model eukaryotic systems. Topics will include
fundamentals of Mendelian Genetics, genetic recombination
and genetic linkage, as well as, gene structure and replication, gene
expression and the transfer of genetic information, mutation and mutagenesis,
and applications of recombinant DNA techniques to genetic analysis. For
students who have not had undergraduate genetics ([3-4]-0) Y BIOL 6V33 Biomolecular Structures (2-3
semester hours) This course includes a discussion of DNA structures, protein
structures, the folding and stability of domains, and the binding of proteins
to DNA. Methods used to investigate the relation of structure to function are
emphasized. Types of protein structures whose structure and function are
considered include transcription factors, proteinases,
membrane proteins, proteins
in signal transduction, proteins of the immune system, and engineered proteins.
([2-3]-0) Y BIOL 6V41 Oncogenes (2-4 semester hours) Properties of cancer cells, in vivo
and in vitro.Telomeres
and cellular immortality.The
role of DNA and RNA viruses in human cancers.Molecular biology of chronic leukemia
retroviruses and the acutely transforming retroviruses.Retroviral oncogenes; the role of mutation, amplification, and chromosomal
translocation of cellular oncogenes in human cancer.Regulation of the eukaryotic cell cycle, and the role of tumor suppressor
genes. The role of oncogenes in growth
hormone signal transduction. The role of
apoptosis, and developmental signaling pathways in cancer.
([2-4]-0) Y BIOL 6V49 Topics in Cell Biology (2-5 semester hours) May be repeated
for credit to a maximum of 9 hours. ([2-5]-0) Y BIOL 6V50
Internship in Biotechnology/Biomedicine (1-6 semester hours).Provides faculty supervision for a student’s
internship. Internships must be in an area relevant to the student’s coursework for the MS in Biotechnology. ([1-6]
- 0) RBIOL 6V92 Readings in Molecular and Cell Biology (3-9 semester hours)
([3-9]-0) Y BIOL 6V95 Advanced Topics in Molecular and Cell Biology (Individual
instruction) (1-6 semester hours) May be repeated for credit with permission of
the graduate advisor. Recent topics include Medical Cell Biology for Biotech
and Medical Cell Biology for MAT. ([1-6]-0) Y BIOL 6V98
Thesis
(3-9 semester hours) (May be repeated for credit.) ([3-9]-0) SCS 5343 Algorithm Analysis & Data Structures (3 semester hours) Formal
specifications and representation of lists, arrays, trees, graphs, multilinked
structures, strings and recursive pattern structures. Analysis of associated algorithms. Sorting and
searching, file structures. Relational data
models. Prerequisites: CS 5303, CS 5333. (3-0) S CS 6360 Database Design (3 semester hours) Methods, principles, and
concepts that are relevant to the practice of database software design. Database system architecture; conceptual database
models; relational and object-oriented databases; database system
implementation; query processing and optimization; transaction processing
concepts, concurrency, and recovery; security. Prerequisite: CS
5343. (3-0) S CS 6363 Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms (3 semester hours) The study of efficient algorithms
for various computational problems. Algorithm
design techniques.Sorting,
manipulation of data structures, graphs, matrix multiplication, and pattern
matching.Complexity of
algorithms, lower bounds, NP completeness. Prerequisite: CS 5343
(3-0) S CS 6372 Biological Database Systems and Datamining
(3 semester hours) This course emphasizes the concepts of database, data
warehouse, data mining and their applications in biological science. Topics
include relational data models, data warehouse, OLAP, data pre-processing,
association rule mining from data, classification and prediction, clustering,
graph mining, time-series data mining, and network analysis. Applications in
biological science will be focused on Biological data warehouse design,
association rule mining from biological data, classification and prediction
from microarray data, clustering analysis of genomic and proteomic data, mining
time-series gene expression data, biological network (including protein-protein
interaction network, metabolic network) mining. Prerequisite: CS 6325
Introduction to Bioinformatics or BIOL 5376 Applied Bioinformatics (3-0) Y.ENTP 6370 Entrepreneurship (3 semester hours)This course is designed to
provide an introduction to entrepreneurship for management and non-management
students. There are no prerequisites for the course. The course
emphasizes the development of new ventures including technology-based ventures,
addressing opportunity identification and evaluation, market assessment, startup
strategies, business plan development, venture financing, and startup
management. Case studies and guest lectures by practicing entrepreneurs and
investors provide a real-world perspective. The major deliverable of this
course is business plan (including an early stage feasibility analysis) of a
venture of the student's choosing. This course is available to all graduate
students enrolled at UTD (3-0 credit hours). S FIN 6301 Financial Management (3 semester hours) Theoretical and
procedural considerations in the administration of the finance function in the
individual business firm; planning, fundraising, controlling of firm finances;
working capital management, capital budgeting and cost of capital.
Co-requisites: STAT 5311 or OPRE 6301 and AIM 6201, or consent of instructor. (3-0) S MATH 6345 Mathematical Methods in Medicine and Biology
(3 semester hours) Introduction to the use of mathematical techniques in
solving biologically important problems. Some examples of topics that
might be covered are biochemical reactions, ion channels, cellular signaling
mechanisms, kidney function, nerve
impulse propagation. Prerequisites: MATH 1471, MATH
1472, (MATH 2420 recommended) YSTAT 5351 Probability and Statistics I (3 semester hours) A mathematical
treatment of probability theory. Random variables, distributions, conditioning,
expectations, special distributions and the central limit theorem. The theory
is illustrated by numerous examples. This is a basic course in probability and
uses calculus extensively. Prerequisite: Multivariable calculus (MATH 2451). (3-0) T STAT 5352 Probability and Statistics II (3 semester
hours) Theory and methods of statistical inference.Sampling, estimation, confidence intervals,
hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and regression with applications.
Prerequisite: STAT 5351. (3-0) TSCI 5V06/POEC 7329/HMGT 6326 Special Topics - Biomedical
Ventures in the DFW Region. This course explores the
industrial and commercial opportunities at the intersection of
biomedical/bioengineering research and clinical activity and North Texas'
industrial strengths in information and communication technologies (ICT).
The course is organized around guest presenters representing key sectors,
technologies and organizations in the emerging DFW bio-economy. Students
will study how to assess the potential payoffs, measured in terms of expanded
economic activity and improved patient outcomes, of adding ICT-enhanced
"precision" biomedical/health services delivery to its existing
industrial strengths. Students may enroll either for graduate course credit or
certificate credit. (3-0) Y